Book #88: "Mightier Than the Sword"

 

As chronicled here, at one time I only owned the first two books of this series in material form, and the next two electronically. That remains true, with an addendum, as I have since added volumes five, six and seven to my physical library. 

This presented me with a conundrum, because this undertaking was meant to depict my journey through reading only those volumes printed on paper (which still outnumber my digital titles on a scale of roughly 15 to 1.) However, it's been years since I read the first four books, and despite still holding on to most of the major plot points, I knew my experience of these installments would be enhanced by a re-read of the others. So my decision was to read, but not write up, volumes three and four. (Volume one here if you're interested.)

Having dispensed with the preliminaries: this is...not great. It's engaging enough, I suppose, but frankly I lost interest in these characters about a book and a half ago. Perhaps growing tired of hitting the same old notes, or needing more material to lengthen a story even he's no longer interested in, Archer subjects the long-suffering Clifton-Barrington clan to ever more ludicrous plot twists, aided by a rotating cast of arch-nemeses who could pursue Bond villainy as a viable career path. (Seriously: how many enemies determined to cause their downfall at any price can one family have?) Moreover, the twists and turns demanded by this saga are accomplished by introducing characters and causes we've never met before (Harry's sudden fixation on an imprisoned Russian author comes out of nowhere, as does Sebastian's supervisor at the bank) and using facts and traits that were never mentioned previously (Giles and his wife are estranged? Harry has a photographic memory?) Soap operas have better-scripted surprises (and indeed, as in all good soap operas, several characters have come back from supposed deaths at this point.) And to top it all off, we have completely abandoned the story's original premise: is Harry a Clifton, biologically, or a Barrington? (Because, lest we forget, if the latter, he's married to his half-sister. Something that didn't slow either of them down in the slightest, and hasn't even been mentioned since about two chapters into book three.)

Despite all this, I have been, and remain, a fan of Jeffrey Archer's work. But I would advise him to stick to single volumes, and leave the series to someone–anyone–else. 

Author: Jeffrey Archer

Potentially objectionable content: occasional language, intense scenes